As business leaders, our
days are packed.
It's easy to trickle
away the minutes on the
trivial, only to realize
that the hours, days,
months, even years have
vanished without real
progress.
Lee Colan is a
leadership expert whose
essay below provides
powerful food for
thought as you consider
whether you're spending
your time in ways that
make the most difference
to you, your employees
and your customers.
A Moment To Act
Lee J. Colan
Reprinted with permission
Picture this – at birth,
all you have is a jar of
27,375 jellybeans – one
for every day of an
average 75-year life
expectancy.
Since that first
birthday, you’ve taken a
jellybean out with each
passing day. By the time
you were 21 and ready
for your first full-time
job or to begin your
career, you have used up
8,665 jellybeans,
leaving only 18,710
pieces in the jar of
your life.
Over our lifetime,
you’ll spend
approximately 28 years
sleeping, 25 years
working, 14 years
watching TV, 8 years
eating, 7.5 years in
leisure or miscellaneous
activities and 3.5 years
getting dressed.
Our lives are a
countdown. Time is our
most precious resource.
It’s all we have.
Whether prisoner or
prince, world leader or
struggling citizen, we
each have the same
amount of time to excel.
Once we lose it, we
never get it back. As a
result, life rewards
those who seize their
time and take action.
Sometimes our actions
get lost in our
intentions. Have you
ever heard someone say,
“I intended to tell her
how important she is to
our team before she
left,” or “I intended to
volunteer last weekend,”
or “I meant to vote this
past election,” or “I
intended to keep my
commitment, but…?" Well,
the truth is, we judge
ourselves by our
intentions, but others
judge us by our actions.
I remember talking with
a good friend who was 30
years old at the time.
He really regretted
never going to medical
school but still carried
a passion for being a
doctor. One night, he
started his familiar
lamenting, “Well, it was
just a dream. It’s too
late now. It takes at
least five years and I
will be 35 years old by
the time I am finished
with medical school.” I
then asked, “How old
will you be in five
years if you don’t go to
medical school?”
My friend understood the
point. In five years, he
would be 35 years old
whether or not he acted
upon his dream. At that
moment, he decided to
make every minute count.
Life’s rewards – a
winning team, loving
relationships,
meaningful work,
financial security, time
to recreate, leaving a
lasting legacy – come to
those who act to bring
them about, although
life isn’t always easy
and there are plenty of
excuses not to excel.
Excellence belongs to
those who let their
actions rise above their
excuses.
Here is my favorite
poetic reminder of the
value of every minute.
- To realize the value of
four years, ask a
graduate.
- To realize the value of
one year, ask a student
who has failed a final
exam.
- To realize the value of
one month, ask a mother
who has given birth to a
premature baby.
- To realize the value of
one week, ask an editor
of a weekly newspaper.
- To realize the value of
one hour, ask a job
candidate waiting for
his interview.
- To realize the value of
one minute, ask a person
who has missed the
train, bus or plane.
- To realize the value of
one second, ask a person
who has survived an
accident.
- To realize the value of
one millisecond, ask the
person who has won a
silver medal in the
Olympics.
Time waits for no one.
Treasure each moment you
have and act on each one
you can!
Related Radial Articles:
Overcoming Procrastination: But I Work Best Under Pressure!
Seven Big Ideas For
Wellness Business
Leaders
------------
About the author: Lee J. Colan is an executive
advisor and leadership
expert who's built a
track record of
successfully managing
the challenges of rapid
organizational change.
He blends an in-depth
understanding of
business, people and
organizations with his
corporate management
experience to help
leaders and companies
grow.
Get more of his insights
at The L Group's
website.
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